This worries some Catholics who think having two popes in the house will make things a little crowded. Some even fear there is a nefarious scheme at work that will allow Benedict to exert undue influence on his successor.

""When Pope Celestine V quit his job in 1294, his successor locked him in prison and kept him there until he died."""Pope Benedict XVI will not suffer the same sad fate. When he resigns today, not only will he not be jailed, exiled or even sent to a retirement home, he will get to stay in the Vatican."

Benedict has long been concerned with reversing the evil that was Vatican 2 , but aqlso knows there are a lot of leftist cardinals who could hold sway---either as the next pope or as one of the more powerful cardinals.

So Benedict retires to help choose a young, staunchly anti-Vatican 2 successor and surround him with staunchly anti-Vatican 2 cardinals, thus insuring a long succession of time where the church reverses Vatican 2's evil.

Remember: Benedict is a very good politician. He was JPII's right hand man, and pushed for some of JPII's out-of-character pronouncements regarding anti-Vatican 2 ideas. He used his homily at JPII's death as a political springboard, desperate to reverse the evils of leftism on the church as pope. It was that speech that helped him emerge to the public as the likely next pope---before that he was an unknown.

I don't think Benedict wants a figurehead pope who is lead by his cardinals---I think Benedict fears that the power of the papacy is too great and the influence of leftists too strong to allow a weak-minded pope the Throne of Peter. Instead, Benedict will push for a young zealot--probably one of his own acolytes.

And if Benedict's choice is spurned---if a politically correct pope is chosen instead---expect Benedict to undermine him, vocally and openly.

Benedict probably has lined up his preferred successor and used the time between his announcing of the retirement and actual retirement to lobby for him.